Businesses looking to up the productivity ante

RECRUITMENT organisation Hudson's latest Employment Trends report examined Australian employers' top priorities for 2013 and found almost a quarter of all employers (24.2%) cite enhancing performance and productivity of their existing team as their top human resources priority for 2013.

Hudson Asia Pacific chief executive Mark Steyn said employers had to maximise the value returned by their current staff.

"Staff retention and high performance are outcomes of strong employee engagement, so exceptional leadership, staff buy-in to what the organisation is trying to achieve and feeling part of the team are essential," he said.

"A key way to enhance productivity is ensuring that staff have the right capability - that is the skills, behavioural and motivational fit - and are supported by systems, process and organisational structures to deliver efficiently.

"Ultimately, HR and recruitment practices must be assessed continuously to ensure they match the organisation's strategy to the current economic conditions ..."